The Lawyer Who Reads Tomorrow - Chapter 17

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 17

 

 

“Attorney Sung Tae-hyun, saying such things based on mere speculation without properly confirming the facts—”

 

Noh Hae-min raised his voice for the first time.

 

Of course, my speculation was correct.

Since putting on the judicial robe, I had realized that there was no such thing as complete truth.

 

However, Noh Hae-min’s words were also right.

Properly confirming the facts first was something I used to say like a mantra.

 

So he really was a lawyer.

I turned my gaze away from him and matched eye level with Baek Jun-tae, who was crouched down.

 

“Your middle school graduation photo. That was your last appearance.”

“…”

“You’re trapped inside this house like this, while Kim Jae-yoon and Park Hyung-il were walking around outside just fine.”

 

It was a cowardly method.

I was stirring up emotions that Baek Jun-tae would have wanted to bury in order to get information.

 

“…Damn… it…”

“One of them is dead. And Jung Seung-jun got framed for murder.”

“…”

“What’s left is Park Hyung-il.”

 

As I said this, I examined the back of crouched Baek Jun-tae’s neck.

 

As expected.

I could see a scar similar to what I had seen on Jung Seung-jun’s neck before.

 

This old scar was made by Kim Jae-yoon and Park Hyung-il.

 

“We need clear evidence.”

“…Attorney Sung Tae-hyun.”

 

Noh Hae-min called my name with a worried voice.

 

“Don’t tell me you’re trying to manipulate him into giving false testimony—”

 

What an imagination he had.

 

Perhaps because a minor was involved, Noh Hae-min was much more worried than when he had boldly come to this house.

It might be because he still lacked trust in me.

Either way, it was annoying, but it wasn’t a bad attitude for a legal professional.

 

A judge with a cold head but a warm heart.

That was the ultimate goal of judicial education.

 

“I understand your concern, but it’s not like that.”

 

After giving a brief answer, I focused on Baek Jun-tae again.

Noh Hae-min, who still looked worried, didn’t add any more words.

Perhaps he had received some hint from Ho-shin Senior.

 

“…Secret…”

 

That’s when it happened. Baek Jun-tae’s tightly closed lips opened very slightly, and a hoarse voice flowed out.

 

“Will you… keep it… secret…?”

“Of course.”

“…”

 

Baek Jun-tae rolled his eyes as if organizing his thoughts.

 

For a boy who had been locked in a room for a very long time and only showed violent behavior, he seemed calm.

Considering his violence from earlier, it was strangely quiet behavior.

 

“That bastard… deserved to die.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know how you found out, but that bastard buried me, that’s right.”

 

Baek Jun-tae’s mouth twitched after saying that much.

His attitude suggested he didn’t know where to start talking.

I asked Baek Jun-tae in a more comfortable tone.

 

“Kim Jae-yoon?”

“…Yes…”

 

A clear hierarchical relationship among the children was drawn.

 

“To be exact, Kim Jae-yoon ‘ordered’ Park Hyung-il to threaten you.”

 

Baek Jun-tae’s eyes widened at my words.

 

“…How… how…”

 

Distorting facts is speculation that follows incomplete testimony.

However, my speculation had reasons.

 

Noh Hae-min, who had said we should go gather information but was now suddenly hearing me corner Park Hyung-il, also seemed confused and kept his mouth shut.

 

“One more thing. You hate Jung Seung-jun because you thought he was your friend, right?”

“…”

“Kim Jae-yoon and Park Hyung-il bullied you two until middle school. Still, you had the loyalty of enduring it together, but you might have thought Jung Seung-jun abandoned you.”

 

Baek Jun-tae began glaring at me.

However, he didn’t refute it.

 

Since I was stirring up long-buried emotions, I wasn’t sure how long Baek Jun-tae’s patience would hold out.

I too had once been a teenager, but the emotional changes from that time had long been forgotten in the distant past.

 

“…Jung Seung-jun said he would… help me…”

 

Baek Jun-tae, whose teeth had been chattering as they clashed together, muttered quietly in anger.

 

“And then?”

“…That bastard was the same. When Park Hyung-il screwed me over, Jung Seung-jun was the first one to block my number.”

“How did Park Hyung-il screw you over?”

 

I asked indifferently, but Baek Jun-tae closed his mouth again.

Still, wasn’t this quite a bit of progress?

 

Baek Jun-tae, who had acted like he wouldn’t even open the door for us, was somehow managing to continue the conversation while dealing with waves of emotion.

 

I should check the diary first when I get out of here.

If Sung Tae-hyun was also listening to this conversation, he would have revised that stupid phrase about me losing.

 

“Should I tell you?”

“…”

 

The silence was growing longer.

 

Noh Hae-min flinched anxiously.

However, just as I had requested earlier, he didn’t add anything to the conversation.

 

Seeing how he worried about Baek Jun-tae but didn’t stop me from pressuring him, it seemed Ho-shin Senior had indeed given him some instructions.

 

All things considered, Ho-shin Senior had quite a tight-knit team of members.

 

“Park Hyung-il threatened you using this house you live in, didn’t he?”

“…!”

“Making it seem like he could kick you and your parents out of this house anytime.”

 

Baek Jun-tae’s eyes filled with shock.

 

“How, how did you…”

“I don’t know exactly what happened in middle school.”

“…”

“But the reason you’re hiding inside this house like this is because you’re worried it might harm your parents, isn’t it?”

 

Tears began to fall drop by drop from Baek Jun-tae’s eyes.

 

This was a different situation from before.

Instead of shouting or lunging at someone, he began to shed the tears he had been holding back.

Noh Hae-min immediately embraced Baek Jun-tae comfortingly and began patting him.

 

“…Fuck, fucking hell…”

 

There was a reason I had made this guess.

 

Yesterday, after getting Baek Jun-tae’s address from Associate Yoon Ha-young, I immediately pulled the property registration records.

 

No matter how impressive Kim Jae-yoon and Park Hyung-il were as bullies, they didn’t mess with most kids.

In fact, Kim Jae-yoon even had a good reputation among the children.

So there must have been some reason for the violence against Jung Seung-jun and Baek Jun-tae that had continued since middle school.

 

And to find the similarity that connected those two, I had considered the easiest thing I had in hand first.

 

“Park Hyung-il’s mother owns the houses where you and Seung-jun live.”

“That son of a bitch…”

 

I was right. What a disgusting situation.

 

They were just high school students, no, they had been targeting people since they were clueless elementary school students, carefully selecting only those who would suffer no damage even if teenage boys held them in their hands and shook them around.

 

“You can tell me everything. I’ll make sure it doesn’t harm you.”

 

After crying for a while, thinking about something, Baek Jun-tae opened his mouth.

 

“Those bastards… Jung Seung-jun, that bastard, because of his grandfather and grandmother, because of that damn house, the stupid bastard was too nice to even fight back…”

“…”

“Everyone knows how Kim Jae-yoon and Park Hyung-il act like shit.”

“…Really?”

“But nobody helped us. Fuck, because they were afraid they’d end up like me or Jung Seung-jun.”

 

Even with his pale face, Baek Jun-tae ground his teeth.

 

“Even though they just clean up after Kim Jae-yoon, even though they can’t say shit to Kim Jae-yoon…!”

 

The scattered puzzle pieces were gradually finding their places.

 

“Park Hyung-il didn’t dislike Kim Jae-yoon, did he?”

“He hated him, he fucking hated him! That bastard used to say like a habit that he’d kill Kim Jae-yoon someday when Kim Jae-yoon wasn’t around!”

“But it was different in front of him?”

“In front of Kim Jae-yoon, he crawled around trembling. And Kim Jae-yoon took that for granted.”

 

That made sense.

 

Baek Jun-tae, whose eyes were filled with hatred, didn’t close his mouth once he started talking.

Like water flowing through a broken dam, facts and hatred mixed together and poured out messily.

 

“Park Hyung-il, that fucking bastard, because his dad can’t say shit to Kim Jae-yoon’s dad…”

 

Is this how power relationships look through teenage eyes?

 

“…You mean National Assembly member Kim Wan-gil.”

 

At my words, Baek Jun-tae nodded his head vigorously.

 

“Park Hyung-il’s dad crawls around begging to Kim Jae-yoon’s dad.”

As I glanced around, I caught sight of Noh Hae-min.

He had a coldly sunken expression as if he had realized something.

 

This was before Park Ji-hyung’s construction company even came to market.

Kim Wan-gil was also before he became a National Assembly member.

 

Their friendship and success story was famous enough to warm the hearts of many entrepreneurs, but there was a fact that industry insiders knew implicitly.

 

‘The thug who followed around backing up Kim Wan-gil.’

 

That was Park Ji-hyung.

No matter how nice the clothes you wear, there’s a certain smell that can’t be hidden.

 

If that was the connection between Kim Wan-gil and Park Ji-hyung that had continued since the Josang Trading days, then their sons too wouldn’t have been free from that master-servant relationship.

 

A relationship where if one side collapses, the other side collapses together.

 

‘…It could be Park Hyung-il’s motive for the crime, not Jung Seung-jun’s.’

 

The police said it was an impulsive crime that occurred during a fight between friends.

Would Jung Seung-jun, who had been psychologically bound to Kim Jae-yoon and Park Hyung-il since elementary school, really consider them ‘friends’?

 

‘Moreover, Kim Wan-gil’s side intentionally concealed Park Hyung-il’s existence.’

 

Among all those countless interviews, Park Hyung-il’s name never came up even once.

That’s why I too only learned of Park Hyung-il’s existence after hearing from the homeroom teacher.

 

‘…Kim Wan-gil and Park Ji-hyung.’

 

Were their interests so solid that they didn’t even want to dig into the truth behind their own son’s death?

 

“Let me ask one more thing.”

 

Baek Jun-tae had an important clue.

Since middle school, he had been closest to those involved in the incident, so it made sense.

At my continued question, Noh Hae-min’s eyes widened greatly.

 

“…I, I am…”

 

The motive for the crime and… perhaps, the method.

Color was added to the roughly drawn sketch.

What remained was unavoidable evidence.

 

With not much time left until the deadline, we were the ones in a hurry, but now it was really just a little more.

Just a few more steps forward and we could approach the truth.

 

* * *

 

“Your enthusiasm is good, but you pushed a young kid too hard.”

 

On the way back to the office, Noh Hae-min spoke in a low voice.

I thought he really wasn’t like a lawyer, but in another sense, he was quite a commendable lawyer.

 

I looked at the potential of this still young colleague and answered gently.

 

“I did it on purpose.”

“…On purpose?”

 

Or not.

 

Despite my kind answer, Noh Hae-min’s face crumpled badly.

He already had a sharp-looking face, but seeing him like this was quite different.

 

A cold aura emanated from him that would make ordinary neighborhood thugs hesitate to even approach him.

 

“Yes, on purpose.”

“…On purpose… you made a child who just opened the door and came out pour out emotions that would be difficult to handle?”

 

Now I could see that unlike his appearance, he was the conscience of Law Firm Ilchul.

How did Ho-shin Senior manage to pick and gather only such talented people?

 

Well, he was still a rookie though.

 

“Because that would be a good direction for Baek Jun-tae too.”

“You were too cold. Too fast. That kid is still a minor.”

“Now I understand well why Baek Jun-tae followed Attorney Noh Hae-min.”

“…Attorney Sung Tae-hyun.”

“But sometimes you need a booster.”

 

Baek Jun-tae, who hadn’t come out of his room for over a year.

Talk about considering the child’s feelings or waiting for him – that’s work for doctors or educators.

 

I was a judge, no, now a lawyer.

Anyway, as a lawyer, my job wasn’t that kind of thing, but to move for the benefit of my client.

 

“Since he poured out so much today, Baek Jun-tae might not shut himself up in that room for a while.”

“…”

“Jung Seung-jun also realized that he too might have been threatened at the house where he lives with his grandparents, so his misunderstanding about Jung Seung-jun would have been somewhat resolved.”

 

Old emotions are forgotten with time.

 

The same goes for the anger that was so intense he would have fits just hearing Jung Seung-jun’s name.

Although someone else did it for him, Baek Seung-jun realized that the reason Jung Seung-jun acted that way was exactly the same as his own.

 

I didn’t want to get involved in kids’ fights, but clearing up the misunderstanding also helped in obtaining important clues, so wasn’t it good?

 

“Go in first. I’ll stop by the office and then go.”

 

Anyway, it was the weekend now.

Noh Hae-min, who had been pondering for a moment, soon disappeared from sight.

 

Was he sulking?

Since we’d be working together continuously anyway, he’d probably be fine by Monday.

I needed to organize the new facts before the meeting with Jung Seung-jun that I had applied for again.

 

* * *

 

[…However, there is no direct evidence.]

[With only circumstantial evidence, it will be impossible to prove Jung Seung-jun’s innocence.]

 

“…Acting all high and mighty like you’re some expert.”

 

In the afternoon, the diary I checked again had a new entry written in it.

Of course, the part [However, Baek Jun-tae refused to talk.] had been deleted, but the newly written content after that wasn’t particularly welcome.

 

“You think I don’t know direct evidence is important, you rookie.”

 

Sung Tae-hyun’s Diary remained silent.

Let’s see if this bastard says the same thing after the next meeting is over.

 

Just as I finished organizing the files and stuffed the diary into my bag.

My mobile phone, which had been quiet, started vibrating loudly.

 

[Senior Lim Do-hyuk].

 

“…Huh.”

 

It wasn’t that I hadn’t expected it, but I didn’t think he’d contact me this quickly.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————